Apple buys Canadian mapping firm Poly9

Apple has bought the online mapping firm Poly9, according to a report by Canadian newspaper The Sun which says Apple recently bought the Quebec-based firm and moved all but two of its employees to its Californian headquarters.

Though Apple has not confirmed the deal, it follows last year's purchase of Google Maps competitor Placebase, indicating Apple is stepping up its mapping technologies to challenge the dominance of Google's products. Apple currently uses Google Maps as the default, native mapping tool on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, but could use a service based on Poly9 to replace this.

Poly9 has previously produced maps APIs for Apple, as well as rivals Microsoft, Yahoo, MSNBC and a touch of Christmas magic for for Norad, the US aerospace defence agency. Its products include the cross-browser, cross-platform, download-free, 3D Poly Globe - essentially a Google Earth competitor that also collects location and altitude data from the user.

From Google's expanding music services to indications that Apple will block Google's advertising services from iAd, it's looking increasingly hostile between the two.

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